Saint Margaret of Scotland-
Queen of Scotland
Born: 1045
Died: 1093
Canonized: 1250
Patroness of Scotland
The grand-daughter of King Edmund Ironside of England, daughter of Prince Edward the Atheling and daughter of Agatha, a Hungarian princess, grand-niece of Saint Stephen of Hungary, and King Edward the Confessor, Margaret was born in Hungary in 1045 while her family was there in exile, escaping Danish rule in England. Her family returned to England when Margaret was about 12 but then had to leave again when she was about 21 to escape the Norman conquest of England. Margaret and her family were members of Anglo-Saxon royalty which were enemies of the Normans. This time, as they were sailing again for Hungary, they were shipwrecked off the coast of Scotland.
Margaret and her family were taken in and given refuge by the King of Scotland, Malcolm III. King Malcolm became quite enchanted with young Margaret and the two were married about four years later when Margaret was twenty five. Together they had six sons and two daughters.
Queen Margaret had a big influence on King Malcolm. He was a good man but some accounts say he was somewhat uncultured. Her dynamic personality helped even out King Malcolm’s temper. She also helped her husband grow in holiness. Queen Margaret was strong-willed, but not in an offensive way. She was a woman of great virtue. She did much to promote Scottish culture and introduced reforms to bring the Scottish church and some of its liturgical practices more in line with those practiced in Rome. She had a role in the Scottish church observing regulations for Lenten fasts and Easter communion as well as marriage laws. Margaret bought chalices and vestments for churches. She established a workshop in the palace and trained women how to make vestments.
Margaret and her husband built several churches and monasteries. She invited Benedictine monks to work in Scotland. She and her husband restored a famous old abbey on Iona, a small island off the coast of Scotland. They built lodgings for pilgrims to their country. Many pilgrims would come to Scotland to venerate St. Andrew the Apostle whose bones were said to have been taken after his death to St. Andrew’s, Scotland. Margaret used her power, wealth, and influence, to better the living conditions for the poor in Scotland. She would personally visit the poor and the sick and help in their care. Margaret even washed the feet of those she visited to demonstrate Christian service and charity. The Queen also had a special love in her heart for orphans and saw to their care. She often held large feasts where she would invite up to 300 commoners to dine with her inside the castle. She especially liked doing this around Advent and Lent.
She was a devoted wife and mother, seeing that her children were properly educated in their Catholic faith. Queen Margaret’s son David became one of Scotland’s most popular and holy kings in that country’s history.
With all of her duties as queen, wife and mother, Margaret always made time for her very deep prayer life. She would also regularly fast and read the Bible. Her prayer life certainly strengthened her in all of her activities.
Queen Margaret founded the Holy Trinity Abbey at Dunfermlinem, Scotland. This abbey became the burial grounds for Scottish royalty.
In 1093, King Malcolm and his oldest son and heir Edward were killed in the same battle by foreign enemies. Four days later, while already on her deathbed from illness, Queen Margaret died at the age of 48 in Edinburgh castle. She was buried in front of the high altar in Holy Trinity Abbey at Dunfermlinem.
Her son, King David I, built a small church inside EdinburghCastle to honor her memory. It is the oldest building inside the castle and is called St. Margaret’s Chapel.
Queen Margaret of Scotland was canonized in 1250 by Pope Innocent IV
Saint Margaret was proclaimed Patroness of Scotland in 1673 by Pope Clement X
Some things to think about:
Saint Margaret is a very good example of a kind and just ruler. Many of us in life will at times be in a position of authority over others, i.e. school committees, work, social organizations, etc. Someday most of us will become parents. Saint Margaret, with all of her power and influence, taught her children to be holy and just rulers and always made time to serve those whom she had authority over. We should look to the example of Saint Margaret and ask her intercession to help us carry out our positions of authority in a Christ-like manner. We should treat our positions of authority as opportunities for service and Christian witness. Of course the greatest example of a Christian ruler is none other than Christ Himself, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
Saint Margaret was generous with not only with her money but also with her time.
We all have time, talent and treasure to share with those in need. Pray about ways to contribute your God-given gifts to make the world better for others. There are a multitude of charities and organizations that would be grateful for your help and God will bless you for it. Be sure to give with a lot of love. Be grateful to God for the opportunity to serve and bring Christ to others. It is true that in giving, we actually receive. It’s truly a win-win situation!
As busy as Saint Margaret was with her duties as Queen of Scotland, she still placed the highest priority on continuing to develop spiritually. She made time for prayer. Many of us live in a very fast-paced life style. Are we taking time for prayer? A Saint once said we should take a half-hour per day just for prayer, and if we’re too busy then we need an hour per day! We must not let our busy lives prevent our spiritual development. We must remember to put first things first.
Someday most of our young people will become parents. Saint Margaret made sure that her children received a very good RELIGIOUS education. As parents we will be guilty of the worst type of neglect if we neglect looking after our children’s souls. As parents we must also model Christian behavior. Children deserve a happy and holy Christian home where the love for Christ comes first, thus magnifying the love between the family members. Young people – become good Christian parents!
Resources used: Patron Saint Index, Catholic Encyclopedia, Lives of the Saints Illustrated, Lives of the Saints – McBrien, Lessons from the Lives of the Saints – Esper, Ordinary People Extraordinary Lives, St. Patrick’s Church Saints